Brother of Lt. Gov. Flanagan dies from COVID-19

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[Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan/Instagram]

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said late Sunday night that her brother died from COVID-19 in Tennessee.

In an Instagram post, Flanagan said her brother, Ron, passed away Saturday, nearly two months after her father died.

"To many, he’ll be a statistic: Tennessee’s second COVID-related death. But to me, I’ll remember a loving, older brother, uncle, father, and husband," Flanagan said, in part, in the post.

According to the post, Ron was diagnosed with cancer several weeks ago. With his immune system compromised, he then contracted COVID-19 and was put in a medically-induced coma and placed on a ventilator.

"THIS is why we must #StayHome," Flanagan said.

The Lt. governor urged people to consider that even though they may feel fine, they could still possibly be carrying the virus and putting others with compromised immune systems in danger.

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Almost exactly two months after we buried our dad, my brother Ron passed away on Saturday. To many, he’ll be a statistic: Tennessee’s second COVID-related death. But to me, I’ll remember a loving, older brother, uncle, father, and husband. Ron was a tough-as-nails Marine who was a big teddy bear on the inside. He never left my dad’s side during his final weeks and took care of everyone else in the way only he could. His politics didn’t match mine AT ALL (and we joked about it constantly) but Ron was a very good man who had an amazing capacity to love. I miss him dearly. Several weeks ago, Ron was diagnosed with cancer. His immune system was compromised and he contracted COVID-19. He was put in a medically induced coma and placed on a ventilator. He fought it as hard as he could but it was simply too much for his body. THIS is why we must #StayHome If you feel fine, that’s great. But please consider the possibility that you’re carrying the virus and don’t know it, and then you walk past the next Ron, my big brother, in public. COVID-19 now has a personal connection to me. Please do all you can to prevent one for you. #StayHomeMN

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